The Best Way to Pack Your Backpack

Once you hit the road for a long time, you somehow start to feel like a turtle and that backpack of yours becomes the closest thing you got to a temporary home. contrarily to popular belief it really isn’t about having a big backpack with many liters but to maximize the space in it. You can compress heavy loads in small backpacks. However, carrying a lot of pounds around all the time can take its toll on your back and eventually lead to bigger problems which you really want to avoid on and off the road.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission reports that backpack-related injuries sent more than 7,000 people to the emergency room in 2001 alone.

So I decided to share the following graph which I found quite simple but straight to the point.

REI / Via rei.com

Here is a more complex one that is more appropriate for people going camping or mountaineering.

best way place things in your backpack

At first it will be a pain to re-pack things in the right order all the time and it might not even be possible considering many factors. After a few days though, the habit will kick in and what usually took you 15 minutes will take you less than 5 minutes. A great trick to pack well is to use compression bags to keep things together tightly in different compartment while maximizing space.